Jury convicts McLouth man

A Leavenworth County jury found a 33-year-old McLouth man guilty Tuesday of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and obstruction of official duty, the Leavenworth County Attorney's Office reported.

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By Joshua Roberts

The Leavenworth Times - Leavenworth, KS

By Joshua Roberts

Posted Dec. 4, 2013 at 9:55 PM

By Joshua Roberts

Posted Dec. 4, 2013 at 9:55 PM

A Leavenworth County jury found a 33-year-old McLouth man guilty Tuesday of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and obstruction of official duty, the Leavenworth County Attorney's Office reported.

Kevin Reed's trial took a day and a half in Leavenworth County District Court. The defendant and Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Jason Wohlgemuth, Reed's victim, testified during the trial.

The jury returned a guilty verdict in two hours. Sentencing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Dec. 18.

Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said Reed's sentence would largely be determined by his prior criminal history.

Reed's convictions at trial stem from a May incident in which the Highway Patrol trooper noticed a white Ford Explorer being driven by a woman without registration.

Wohlgemuth tried pulling the vehicle over, but it sped away through road construction at the intersection of Kansas Highway 16 and 235th Street in Leavenworth County, near Tonganoxie.

The Highway Patrol trooper later noticed the vehicle had went to a residence and drove behind a barn. He followed the vehicle, parking near the top of the residence's driveway.

Wohlgemuth exited his vehicle and went to the barn.

"At this point … an unknown man, later identified as Kevin Reed, was found shirtless and in the driver's side of the vehicle," according to the County Attorney's Office news release. "Trooper Wohlgemuth ordered the man out of the vehicle at gunpoint.

"Mr. Reed ignored the order and started driving the vehicle straight at Trooper Wohlgemuth."

Wohlgemuth fired four rounds at the vehicle tires, deflating one of them.

Reed then stopped the vehicle, reversed and sped into a nearby hayfield. He later re-entered 235th Street.

The trooper lost sight of the vehicle, but was assisted by other Highway Patrol personnel. The law enforcement officers followed gouge marks on the road, and additional assistance was given by people who witnessed the Explorer speeding toward Mitchell Road and 225th Street.

Reed, according to the news release, had fled on foot.

Troopers used a K-9 unit and Highway Patrol aircraft in a search for the suspect.

More than 30 officers participated in the search, which included establishing a perimeter and searching all nearby structures.

After about an hour, law enforcement found Reed hiding in the loft of a barn.

He was covered in dirt, mud and grass, and positively identified by Wohlgemuth. He is currently in custody at Leavenworth County Jail.